Fly Fishing Blog - Sunray

I use a 10' #2 Microlite fly rod on the River Hodder at The Inn at Whitewell. Then, switch to Stocks Reservoir to catch rainbow trout using the same rod. You don't need stiff rods and thick fly lines for stillwaters.

March is the month that many flyfishers think about that classic Heptagenid, the March Brown, Rhithrogena germanica. This species has suffered a decline over recent years (as have many other Upwinged species) but there are encouraging signs of recovery on some rivers. 

I have long been an advocate of light lines (1 up to 3 weight) teamed up with light, soft actioned rods, often teamed up with tiny flies & light tippet. Some folks believe that such tackle is unsuited to the capture of big fish.

Late April & early May marks the arrival of the hawthorn flies & black gnats, although their numbers can vary dramatically from year to year. These two terrestrial insects are most active during warm, sunny weather. On breezy days they can be seen swarming behind the shelter of bankside trees & many get blown onto the water. 10am is usually early enough to be at the river & I look for tree-lined areas on the windward side of the river.

January & February saw most of my fish falling to tiny dry flies since both the rainbows at my local small still water & the grayling the industrial Yorkshire Rivers (which were low & suffering from the drought) were regularly preoccupied with tiny Midges